Wor. Then we are all undone. It is not possible, it cannot be, eyes: The king should keep his word in loving us; A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen: And on his father's ;- —we did train him on; Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so. Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS; and Officers and Soldiers, behind. Hot. My uncle is return'd:-Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland1.-Uncle, what news? Wor. The king will bid you battle presently. Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland. Hot. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so. Doug. Marry, and shall, and very willingly. [Exit, Westmoreland was impawned as a surety for the safe return of Worcester. See Act iv, Sc. 3. Wor. There is no seeming mercy in the king. Wor. I told him gently of our grievances, Re-enter DOUGLAS. Doug. Arm,gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth, And Westmoreland, that was engag'd, did bear it; Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on. Wor. The prince of Wales stepp'd forth before the king, And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. Hot. O, 'would the quarrel lay upon our heads; And that no man might draw short breath to-day, But I, and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me, How show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt? Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly, Unless a brother should a brother dare To gentle exercise and proof of arms. He gave you all the duties of a man ; Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue; Spoke your deservings like a chronicle; Making you ever better than his praise, By still dispraising praise, valued with you: And, which became him like a prince indeed, He made a blushing cital3 of himself; 2 Tasking as well as taxing was used for reproof. We still say 'he took him to task.' 3 i. e. ' mention of himself.' To cite is to quote, allege, or mention any passage or incident. The mistakes of Pope and others have induced me to give an explanation of this word, which should otherwise have thought sufficiently intelligible. And chid his truant youth with such a grace, There did he pause: But let me tell the world,- England did never owe so sweet a hope, Better consider what you have to do, Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. Still ending at the arrival of an hour. An if we live, we live to tread on kings; 6 So wild at liberty may mean so wild and licentious, or loose in his conduct. Johnson misunderstood and wrong pointed this passage. The quarto copies most of them read so wild a libertie.' Steevens suggests that perhaps the author wrote so wild a libertine; to which reading I very much incline. Enter another Messenger. Mess. My lord, prepare: the king comes on apace. Hot. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, For I profess not talking; Only this Let each man do his best: and here draw I [The Trumpets sound. They embrace, and exeunt. SCENE III. Plain near Shrewsbury. Excursions, and Parties fighting. Alarum to the Battle. Then enter DOUGLAS and BLUNT, meeting. Blunt. What is thy name, that in the battle thus Thou crossest me? what honour dost thou seek Upon my head? Doug. Know then, my name is Douglas; And I do haunt thee in the battle thus, Because some tell me that thou art a king. Blunt. They tell thee true. Doug. The lord of Stafford dear to-day hath bought Thy likeness: for, instead of thee, King Harry, This sword hath ended him: so shall it thee, Unless thou yield thee as my prisoner. 7 Espérance, or Esperanza, has always been the motto of the Percy family. Shakspeare uses espérance as a word of four syllables, the e final having the same power as in French verse. Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot1; And thou shalt find a king that will revenge Lord Stafford's death. [They fight, and BLUNT is slain. Enter HOTSPUR. Hot. O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus, I never had triumph'd upon a Scot. Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless lies the king. Hot. Where? Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know this face full well: A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt; Semblably furnish'd like the king himself. 2 Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither3 it goes! A borrow'd title hast thou bought too dear. Why didst thou tell me that thou wert a king? Hot. The king hath many marching in his coats. Doug. Now, by my sword, I will kill all his coats: I'll murder all his wardrobe, piece by piece, Until I meet the king. Hot. Up, and away; Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day. [Exeunt. Other Alarums. Enter FALSTAFF. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, but upon the pate.-Soft! who art thou? Sir Walter Blunt ; 1 The folio reads: 'I was not born to yield, thou haughty Scot.' 2 That is in seeming or outward appearance. 3 Whither for whithersoever. Thus Baret, Whether, or to what place you will. Quovis. Any-whether also signified to any place. In the last scene of the second act, Hotspur says to his wife :'Whither I go, thither shalt thou go too.' |